With the right insurance!
Health insurance abroad
Find out which benefits basic insurance covers abroad in an emergency and what added value supplementary insurance can bring.
What does basic insurance cover abroad?
If you find yourself in an emergency situation while on holiday, basic insurance will pay for the treatment. The amount of costs covered depends on which country you are in. Emergencies include accidents and illness. However, basic insurance only covers medically necessary treatments. And it doesn’t include medicines purchased abroad. Nor does it provide advance payments.
-
Within Europe
Basic insurance covers the costs in accordance with the social security tariff of the country in question. This applies to all countries within the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom of Great Britain (UK) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
For example: you need medical assistance in France. France has a copayment of 20% on costs for medical treatment in emergencies. This means we reimburse you 80% of the costs. You have to pay 20% of the costs yourself.
-
Outside Europe
Basic insurance covers the costs up to a maximum of twice the amount that would be covered for the same treatment in your canton of residence. You have to pay any additional costs. This can quickly get expensive in countries like the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia, because medical services there cost significantly more than in Switzerland. In short: Supplementary insurance closes costly gaps.
-
Transport and rescue
In addition to the treatment costs, basic insurance covers 50%, up to CHF 500, for transport.
Benefits of supplementary insurance
Higher cost share
With Sanitas supplementary insurance, you don’t need to worry about money. Sanitas pays a large part of the costs. The Easy travel insurance plan covers 90% of the costs for outpatient treatment abroad and 100% of the treatment costs for hospitalisation abroad.
Worldwide treatment in a single room
For maximum comfort and more privacy, we recommend taking out private supplementary hospital insurance. With Hospital Top Liberty, you receive the best care not only in Swiss hospitals recognised by Sanitas, but in all hospitals worldwide. The plan also covers 100% of the costs in countries outside Europe. And it pays all the costs of transport abroad and return transport to Switzerland.
Sanitas Assistance
In case of medical emergencies abroad you can rely on rapid and straightforward support from Sanitas Assistance. The hotline is available around the clock on +41 44 446 47 47. It offers the following benefits:
- Medical support on the spot
- Commitment to cover costs and advances
- Organisation of return transport
Recommended supplementary insurance plans
These supplementary insurance plans cover higher costs and offer additional benefits for outpatient and inpatient treatment abroad if you have an accident or fall ill. Ideally, you should combine supplementary outpatient insurance, such as Vital, with a Hospital Liberty insurance plan.
1 / 3
1 / 3
Free vaccination and travel advice
Before you travel, find out about any risks you may face and any measures you can take to protect yourself. In many tropical regions and poorer areas, you may be exposed to sometimes incurable diseases. For Sanitas customers, this advice is free of charge.
Get advice with the Sanitas Medgate app
- Go to your profile in the Sanitas Medgate app.
- Go to “Insurance”.
- Scroll down.
- Choose Vaccination and travel advice.
- Press the “Call” button.
- You will be put through to an expert.
You can also get advice without using the Medgate app. Just call the Medgate hotline and have your Sanitas customer number to hand.
-
Advice via the app
Get advice with the Sanitas Medgate app:
- Go to your profile in the Sanitas Medgate app.
- Go to “Insurance”.
- Scroll down.
- Choose Vaccination and travel advice.
- Press the “Call” button.
- You will be put through to an expert.
-
Phone consultation
Get the Medgate app
Download app
Sign up with your insurance card
Get medical advice at any time
Suspending health insurance
If you are abroad for longer than 3 months and have taken out an alternative insurance model, your basic insurance will be switched automatically to the standard model with a free choice of doctors. For your supplementary insurance plans, you can apply to suspend your health insurance. If you suspend your health insurance, you can reactivate it at a later date when you return to Switzerland without another health check.
Conditions
- Minimum duration of suspension: 3 months
- Maximum duration of suspension: 6 years
- No ongoing claims or treatments
- The application for suspension must be made before going abroad. As soon as you leave Switzerland, it is no longer possible to do so.
Different conditions apply for suspending basic and supplementary insurance plans. If you would like to suspend your health insurance, please get in touch. We’ll be happy to help.